We have and will. Focus should be on bonus money that is paid upfront or in first year + any guaranteed money. Players always get that no matter what and why more important than total contract amount. Agents like total amount so they can brag to other recruits what they did for player x. Other bonuses such as roster or incentative is only given to player when designated after meeting. IMO, it is possibe for Barwin and Quin to play entire contract and therefore earn all with possible exception of incentatives.

Sacks for Connor and INTs/tackles for Glover for example may not be earned.

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I want to be able to recognize the difference between a "want" and a "need" and then I want to be satisfied with getting a need

Right, I understand guaranteed v. not, but I've heard it boiled down to the Eagles and Lions didn't really stick their necks out, that the guaranteed amounts are reasonable and that the cap hit, I THINK I heard $2.5 mil for GQ the first year? How can that possibly be right? If it is right, then why aren't we structuring our deals like that and keeping them....?

I'll look up numbers when I get home, what I'm basing my question on is what I've heard in Houston media the last few days and not hard numbers.

Right, I understand guaranteed v. not, but I've heard it boiled down to the Eagles and Lions didn't really stick their necks out, that the guaranteed amounts are reasonable and that the cap hit, I THINK I heard $2.5 mil for GQ the first year? How can that possibly be right? If it is right, then why aren't we structuring our deals like that and keeping them....?

I'll look up numbers when I get home, what I'm basing my question on is what I've heard in Houston media the last few days and not hard numbers.

So he gets 5 million up front, which is average over the contract. First year it's great, it's the 2014/2015 hit that they won't be able to take.

Right, I understand guaranteed v. not, but I've heard it boiled down to the Eagles and Lions didn't really stick their necks out, that the guaranteed amounts are reasonable and that the cap hit, I THINK I heard $2.5 mil for GQ the first year? How can that possibly be right? If it is right, then why aren't we structuring our deals like that and keeping them....?

I'll look up numbers when I get home, what I'm basing my question on is what I've heard in Houston media the last few days and not hard numbers.

Mario Williams' rookie contract was just like that & that was unheard of at that time. However, we were foolish enough to let him play it out.

I like Mario, I wish he was still here. But I do not agree with paying him $16M & $18M the final two years of his deal. It would have been shrewed to cut him, smart to trade him if he was unwilling (which I think he was & from his perspective, I totally understand) to restructure. But no one is worth that kind of money.

If that's the actual structure of the contract, then they basically signed him for 3 years, 14.25 million, or 4.75m a year. Eating a 2.1m signing bonus for cutting him in 2016 isn't a big deal. That team has a 2-3 year window to win a Super Bowl, and they are pushing all the "to be dead" money to 16 and 17.

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Life is too important to be taken seriously. -Oscar Wilde

If that's the actual structure of the contract, then they basically signed him for 3 years, 14.25 million, or 4.75m a year. Eating a 2.1m signing bonus for cutting him in 2016 isn't a big deal. That team has a 2-3 year window to win a Super Bowl, and they are pushing all the "to be dead" money to 16 and 17.

So if they cut him after 15, what happens to the cap in 16 and 17 (let's assume those are the numbers).